At least 30 killed, 24 injured in Afghanistan truck bombing

Kabul, Nov 29 (efe-epa).- At least 30 people were killed and 24 injured on Sunday when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive-laden Humvee close to a police base in Afghanistan’s southern Ghazni province, officials sources told EFE.

“We have so far received 24 injured persons and 30 death bodies,” said the provincial public health director, Baz Muhammad Hemat, adding that most of the victims were members of security forces.

The suicide bomber had detonated the truck, stolen from security forces earlier, close to the police base in Ghazni, capital of the eponymous province, provincial governor’s spokesperson Wahidullah Jumazada confirmed.

He added that the attack took place early morning in Qalai-Jaws area of Ghazni’s police district 3.

So far no militant group has claimed the attack, which comes a day after the Taliban said they had reached an agreement with the Afghan government over the norms to govern the ongoing peace negotiations in Doha.

However government sources had insisted on Saturday that although 21 points on norms and procedures had been given in-principle agreement, the decision was not final and required further discussion.

The peace talks between the Taliban and Kabul kicked off in September but have remained in a deadlock until now , mainly over disagreements on the rules governing the process.

One of the main objectives of Kabul has been to secure a ceasefire at the earliest once the talks began, but the Taliban have insisted that fighting against the Afghan security forces was part of their jihad, or holy war, which wouldn’t stop until they are defeated.

In a similar incident, another suicide-bomber detonated an explosive-laden mini van in the neighboring Zabul province targeting the convoy of provincial council chief Atta Jan Haqbayan.

At least one person was killed in the attack while Haqbayan and 22 others have been wounded, the provincial governor’s spokesperson told EFE. EFE-EPA

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